Evaluating the health education for clients with diabetes mellitus by nurses in a hospital in Swaziland

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the health education for clients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus by nurses working in the diabetes clinic of the specific hospital. The quantitative descriptive cross sectional design used two questionnaires to collect data from all 20 nurses working in the diabetes clinic and from a convenient sample of 132 clients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, making use of the health services at the diabetes clinic of the hospital. Data was analysed by a computer program, statistical package for social science (SPSS). Measures were taken to ensure acceptable ethical practice, validity and reliability of the study. Findings revealed the absence of official documents to guide the health education and other factors, such as not knowing the learning needs of the clients, not utilising teaching methods optimally. Recommendations address the development of standard procedures, lesson plans, recording of health education sessions and education skills development for the nurses.Health StudiesM. A. (Nursing Science

A comparative study of the phosphate levels in some surface and ground water bodiesof Swaziland

The levels of total phosphate in selected surface water and groundwater bodies from Manzini and Lubombo regions of Swaziland were determined using UV spectroscopic method. Samples were collected from three rivers (upstream and downstream of each), three industrial effluents, one reservoir, one pond, one tap water and fifteen boreholes. Mean phosphate levels in the tap water and reservoir varied between 0.08-0.09 mg/L while for the river samples, the range was 0.11-0.37 and for the industrial discharge, it was 0.11-1.60 mg/L PO4–P. For the ground water systems it ranged between 0.10-0.49 mg/L PO4–P. The mean phosphate levels in all the analyzed surface and groundwater samples were below the recommended maximum contaminant level (MCL) by SWSC (Swaziland Water Service Corporation) – i.e. 1.0 mg/L for drinking water; 2.0 mg/L for rivers and industrial effluents, and the South African criterion of 1.0 mg/L PO4–P, for sewage effluents being discharged into receiving waters. However, pooled mean values for all the sites were higher than the USEPA criterion of 0.03 mg/L maximum for uncontaminated lakes. Dominant factors considered to have influenced the levels of phosphates in both the surface and groundwater samples analyzed include industrial activities (where present), agricultural activities (including livestock), population density, location (urban, suburban or rural), soil/rock type in the vicinity of the sampling point, climate and rainfall pattern of the area or region concerned. KEY WORDS:  Surface water, Groundwater, Limiting nutrient, Eutrophication, Algal bloom, Anthropogenic phosphate sources  Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2008, 22(2), 197-206

Experimental verification of entanglement generated in a plasmonic system

A core process in many quantum tasks is the generation of entanglement. It is being actively studied in a variety of physical settings - from simple bipartite systems to complex multipartite systems. In this work we experimentally study the generation of bipartite entanglement in a nanophotonic system. Entanglement is generated via the quantum interference of two surface plasmon polaritons in a beamsplitter structure, i.e. utilising the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) effect, and its presence is verified using quantum state tomography. The amount of entanglement is quantified by the concurrence and we find values of up to 0.77 +/- 0.04. Verifying entanglement in the output state from HOM interference is a nontrivial task and cannot be inferred from the visibility alone. The techniques we use to verify entanglement could be applied to other types of photonic system and therefore may be useful for the characterisation of a range of different nanophotonic quantum devices.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

CHARACTERISATION OF MULTIVARIATE TRAITS IN SWAZI INDIGENOUS GOATS

Swazi goats from two different regions in Swaziland kept in communal systems were characterised based on phenotypic measurements. Objective measurements for 200 goats included body weight (BW), abdominal circumference (AC), body length (BL), chest circumference (CC), face length (FL), neck circumference (NC), neck length (NL), rump height (RH) and height at withers (HW), while qualitative traits included coat colour, coat texture and presence or absence of horns. Seven coat colours were observed across both regions. Goats with straight coat texture (82%), short hair length (68%) and with horns (84%) were predominantly more. Goats in Manzini region had the lower BW, AC, BL and CC (51.77±1.32, 61.77±1.32, 62.49±0.66, 57.96±1.18) than Shiselweni goats (53.09±1.01, 71.09±1.00, 73.67±0.94, 53.83±0.90). The study provided a reference for phenotypic and genetic diversity for Swazi goats useful for designing genetic strategies for improved production, food security and sustainable utilisation

Effects of probiotics on growth performance, blood parameters, and antibody stimulation in piglets

The study investigated the effects of probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus reuteri ZJ625, Lactobacillus reuteri VB4, Lactobacillus salivarius ZJ614, and Streptococcus salivarius NBRC13956) administered as direct-fed microorganisms on growth performance and blood parameters of weaned piglets. Forty-five weaned piglets were divided into five treatments: antibiotic (PC), no antibiotic and no probiotic (NC), probiotic (P1), probiotic (P2), and combination of probiotics (P3). Fecal and ileum samples were collected for microbial count analysis. Blood samples were also collected from the animals at the end of the trial for the hematological and biochemical analysis and the ability of the probiotics to stimulate immunoglobulin G (IgG). Supplementation of probiotics had no effect on feed intake (FI). However, average daily weight gained (ADG) in the P3 treatment was higher than in other treatments and lowered the value of feed conversion ratio (FCR) of weaned piglets. Microbial count of fecal samples did not differ in all the treatments while ileum samples had lower enteric bacteria in P3 treatment when compared to other treatments. Concentration of albumin, globulin, neutrophils and basophils were higher in the NC treatment when compared to other treatment groups. The IgG concentration was highest in P3 compared to other treatments. Results suggested that probiotics have beneficial effects on growth performances, blood parameters, and IgG stimulation of weaned piglets. This advocates that probiotics will offer a significant benefit in pig farming by reducing the risk of post weaning diarrheal syndromes, and therefore enhance pig industry’s economy. Keywords: Blood chemistry, feed conversion ratio, immunoglobulin G, post-weaning diarrheal syndromes, probiotic

Gap Analysis for Future Agricultural Education Research in Eswatini, Swaziland

From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, agriculture educators began to use research as a way of verifying, creating, disseminating and applying new knowledge. However, existing literature is inconclusive on research themes covered and yet to be covered in Agricultural Education in Eswatini. Thus, this study sought to identify themes and gaps for future research in Agricultural Education in Eswatini. This was a qualitative study employing desk review in data collection. Trustworthiness of the content analysis guide was ensured through the use of experts from the Department of Agricultural Education and Extension (AEE) at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA). Data analysis was performed using frequencies and percentages. Findings of the study revealed that in Agricultural Education, gaps existed in the following thematic areas: primary themes - programme delivery methodologies and curriculum programme planning; and secondary themes- creative thinking and problem-solving; innovative instructional technologies; teaching basic and academic skills; professional staff development; educational methodologies for teaching and learning; professional preparation and competence; and needs of future agricultural workforce. The study concluded that research conducted in Agricultural Education in Eswatini is imbalanced in both primary and secondary research themes. Therefore, the Department of AEE at UNESWA must establish a research agenda to ensure that the research conducted is thematically balanced

An evaluation of the District Health Information System in rural South Africa

Background. Since reliable health information is essential for the planning and management of health services, we investigated the functioning of the District Health Information System (DHIS) in 10 rural clinics. Design and subjects. Semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted with clinic managers, supervisors and district information staff. Data collected over a 12-month period for each clinic were assessed for missing data, data out of minimum and maximum ranges, and validation rule violations. Setting. Our investigation was part of a larger study on improving information systems for primary care in rural KwaZulu-Natal. Outcomes. We assessed data quality, the utilisation for facility management, perceptions of work burden, and usefulness of the system to clinic staff. Results. A high perceived work burden associated with data collection and collation was found. Some data collation tools were not used as intended. There was good understanding of the data collection and collation process but little analysis, interpretation or utilisation of data. Feedback to clinics occurred rarely. In the 10 clinics, 2.5% of data values were missing, and 25% of data were outside expected ranges without an explanation provided. Conclusions. The culture of information use essential to an information system having an impact at the local level is weak in these clinics or at the sub-district level. Further training and support is required for the DHIS to function as intended. South African Medical Journal Vol. 98 (7) 2008: pp. 549-55

A rapid motor task-based screening tool for parkinsonism in community-based studies

The prevalence of parkinsonism in developing countries is largely unknown due to difficulty in ascertainment because access to neurologists is often limited. Develop and validate a parkinsonism screening tool using objective motor task-based tests that can be administered by non-clinicians. In a cross-sectional population-based sample from South Africa, we evaluated 315 adults, age \u3e40, from an Mn-exposed (smelter) community, using the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor subsection 3 (UPDRS3), Purdue grooved pegboard, and kinematic-UPDRS3-based motor tasks. In 275 participants (training dataset), we constructed a linear regression model to predict UPDRS3. We selected motor task summary measures independently associated with UPDRS3 ( \u3c 0.05). We validated the model internally in the remaining 40 participants from the manganese-exposed community (test dataset) using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and externally in another population-based sample of 90 participants from another South African community with only background levels of environmental Mn exposure. The mean UPDRS3 score in participants from the Mn-exposed community was 9.1 in both the training and test datasets (standard deviation = 6.4 and 6.1, respectively). Together, 57 (18.1%) participants in this community had a UPDRS3 ≥ 15, including three with Parkinson\u27s disease. In the non-exposed community, the mean UPDRS3 was 3.9 (standard deviation = 4.3). Three (3.3%) had a UPDRS3 ≥ 15. Grooved pegboard time and mean velocity for hand rotation and finger tapping tasks were strongly associated with UPDRS3. Using these motor task summary measures and age, the UPDRS3 predictive model performed very well. In the test dataset, AUCs were 0.81 (95% CI 0.68, 0.94) and 0.91 (95% CI 0.81, 1.00) for cut points for neurologist-assessed UPDRS3 ≥ 10 and UPDRS3 ≥ 15, respectively. In the external validation dataset, the AUC was 0.85 (95% CI 0.73, 0.97) for UPDRS3 ≥ 10. AUCs were 0.76-0.82 when excluding age. A predictive model based on a series of objective motor tasks performs very well in assessing severity of parkinsonism in both Mn-exposed and non-exposed population-based cohorts

21st Century Skills Required In Eswatini\u27s Higher Agricultural Education Curriculum

The skills gap between agricultural education graduates from the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) and what employers are searching for is growing. Literature informs that this is mostly owing to the world\u27s rapid changes, with ICT serving as the primary change engine, necessitating new sets of abilities from graduates as well as up-to-date teaching and evaluation methodologies in higher education institutions. These demands prompted the researchers to first establish the set of 21st century skills that UNESWA graduates must acquire in order to thrive and participate fully in today\u27s market. The study\u27s purpose, therefore, was to develop a set of 21st century skills that could be incorporated into UNESWA\u27s agriculture education curriculum. Phase I used a two-round modified Delphi Technique to investigate the concept dimension and subdimensions of 21st century skills with agricultural education specialists in Eswatini. Phase II employed a survey to triangulate the prior data collection method, population used, and findings by using secondary agriculture teachers in Eswatini to establish the 21st century skill gaps (Round 2) and the highly ranked 21st century skills. Future agriculture education graduates in Eswatini, according to the findings, need to learn 35 particular 21st century skills in order to excel in today\u27s profession and life. These include, but are not limited to, creativity, networking, self-efficacy, problem solving, digital literacy, and others. It is therefore recommended that the University of Eswatini incorporate these abilities into the higher agricultural education curriculum and be intentional in developing them in Eswatini\u27s future agricultural education graduates. As a result, lecturers from the Department of Agricultural Education and Extension would need proper training on how to effectively teach and assess these abilities in their prospective graduates